The Cabinet on Monday decided to suspend the activities of the Risalat Association pending the outcome of ongoing judicial and administrative investigations, stopping short of dissolving the group or revoking its license.
During the session, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam proposed the suspension as a temporary measure “until the investigations are complete,” amid differing opinions within the Cabinet over whether to move forward with the association’s dissolution.
Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine opposed any action before the probe’s conclusion, while the majority of ministers backed the prime minister’s proposal.
“The government could have revoked the license altogether,” Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar said after the session, explaining that the Cabinet chose instead to suspend the association’s activities “until the investigations are finalized.” He stressed that the president, the prime minister, and ministers were united in safeguarding “the cohesion of the government, the political authority, and the Lebanese people.”
Information Minister Paul Morcos said the Cabinet had a legal majority in favor of dissolving the association, but despite the confirmed violations, opted for a more measured approach.
“The decision was made to suspend the association’s operations until the outcome of the investigation is issued,” he said.
Cabinet insiders told Nidaa Al-Watan that a majority of ministers initially supported revoking the license outright, but the final decision sought to defuse political tensions amid an uproar fueled by Hezbollah, which sought to portray the case as sectarian and politically motivated.
Interior Minister Hajjjar, who had pushed for revocation, presented detailed reports on the association’s legal breaches. According to the Cabinet statement, the decision was made after consulting the Justice Ministry’s advisory body, which confirmed that Risalat had violated the terms of its permit and failed to comply with its legal obligations.
“In order to reconcile freedoms with the enforcement of the law, and pending the results of the investigations, the Cabinet decided to suspend the validity of the association’s permit,” the statement said.
